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Posted by “Angry American” at http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/350820_Work_Bench_How_Too.html 1 Workbench Plans Instead of hijacking the other thread I though I would show my own workbench design. I am by no means a carpenter, so this is a very simple design with a lot of "stout" and overbuilding built in. I have 4 of these in my computer store and I swear if you could get the car in the air, you could park one on these benches and they wouldn't budge.

Workbench Plans

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Plans for a very robust workbench constructed from plywood, 4x4 lumber, and 2x4 lumber. Held together with deck or drywall screws and large bolts.

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Page 1: Workbench Plans

Posted  by  “Angry  American”  at  http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/350820_Work_Bench_How_Too.html      

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Workbench  Plans    Instead  of  hijacking  the  other  thread  I  though  I  would  show  my  own  workbench  design.  I  am  by  no  means  a  carpenter,  so  this  is  a  very  simple  design  with  a  lot  of  "stout"  and  overbuilding  built  in.  I  have  4  of  these  in  my  computer  store  and  I  swear  if  you  could  get  the  car  in  the  air,  you  could  park  one  on  these  benches  and  they  wouldn't  budge.  

 

Page 2: Workbench Plans

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 The  bench  when  finished  is  about  40"  tall,  8'  Long  and  3'  deep.  I  like  big  sturdy  benches  and  this  one  will  do  the  job.  The  bonus  is  that  its  heavy  enough  not  to  need  to  bolt  to  the  wall.    What  you  will  need:    

• 4  -­‐  96"  2X4's  • 14  -­‐  33"  2X4's  • 2  -­‐  8'X4'  Sheets  of  3/4"  MDF  or  equivalent.  • 6  -­‐  4X4's  cut  to  39"  in  length.  • 12  -­‐  3/4"  Carriage  Bolts  with  Nuts,  Fender  Washers  and  Locking  Washers.  • 93  -­‐  2.5"  or  3"  Deck  Screws  • 91  -­‐  1  1/2"  Deck  Screws  

       

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First  the  Frame:    

   Take  2  96"  2X4's  and  lay  them  parallel  approximately  3  feet  apart.  Take  two  33"  2X4's  and  attach  them  to  each  end  on  the  inside  of  the  96"ers  as  seen  above.  I  use  three  2.5"  deck  screws  through  the  96"  piece  into  the  33"  piece  to  secure  them  in  place  at  each  end.  Then  take  a  33"  piece  and  secure  it  in  the  middle  of  the  two  96"  pieces.  Then  put  two  more  33"  pieces  approximately  15.5"  apart  between  the  center  and  outside  33"  pieces.    

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Good,  now  you  have  one  done,  do  it  again  and  you  have  both  frame  pieces  made.    Now  cut  and  mount  your  3/4"  mdf  or  like  material  to  one  side  of  each  frame  so  they  look  like  this:    

   As  you  can  see  I  screwed  them  down  from  the  outside,  to  make  the  top  a  tad  bit  smoother  I  did  countersink  the  holes  before  I  ran  in  the  screws.        

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Now  for  the  hard  part.  On  the  inside  corners  of  the  bottom  shelf  you  will  need  to  cut  a  4"  X  4"  hole  with  a  jigsaw  for  the  legs  to  go  through.  Only  do  this  on  one  of  the  shelves,  the  top  shelf  needs  no  holes.  So  you  will  have  a  4"X  4"  hole  at  each  outside  corner  inside  of  the  2X4  framing  and  then  one  on  either  side  of  the  center  rail  frame.  Look  at  the  following  picture  closely  to  see  the  squares  you  will  need  to  cut:    

   Now  comes  the  easy  part.  Take  the  shelf  you  cut  your  holes  out  of  and  lay  it  on  its  side,  then  slide  each  4X4  leg  into  on  of  the  cutouts  leaving  8"  exposed  at  the  bottom.  8"  gives  plenty  of  room  for  vacuum  cleaners  and  off  chairs  to  slide  under  the  bench  easily.  Bolt  each  leg  to  the  frame  using  a  3/4"  Carriage  Bolt  but  leave  it  a  tad  loose  until  we  finish  assembly.  Once  all  6  legs  are  in  place  put  the  bench  up  on  its  feet.  Get  a  helper  to  help  you  lift  the  top  shelf  and  put  it  on  the  top  of  the  legs.  You  will  need  to  jiggle  a  few  of  them  to  get  them  to  drop  where  they  need  to  be.  

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 This  is  what  it  should  look  like  from  the  bottom  now:  Your  legs  should  go  through  the  bottom  shelf  and  rest  on  the  bottom  of  the  MDF  of  the  top  shelf.  I  use  clamps  to  get  the  legs  as  tight  to  the  corner  as  I  can  before  I  drill  my  holes  for  the  carriage  bolts.    

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Now  your  bench  should  be  sitting  upright.  All  you  have  left  at  this  point  is  to  install  your  carriage  bolts  for  the  bench  top  and  attach  it  to  the  legs.  Once  you  have  all  the  bolts  in  place  and  the  legs  where  you  want  em,  tighten  all  the  carriage  bolts  down  real  nice  and  tight.    This  last  step  is  optional.  I  added  a  backsplash  for  a  place  to  mount  tool  holders,  electrical  plugins  or  surge  protectors,  phone  and  data  jacks  and  the  like.  Using  the  scrap  leftover  from  cutting  your  MDF,  cut  a  full  8'  length  8"  wide  piece.  Then  rip  two  1"  pieces  at  full  length  as  well.    Assemble  them  as  pictured  here:    

   

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Take  your  two  96"  X  1"  pieces  and  glue  them  together,  then  attach  them  to  the  back  of  the  bench  screwing  down  from  the  top  using  some  more  2.5"  deck  screws.  Then  attach  your  96"  X  8"  piece  to  the  to  pieces  you  just  attached  to  the  bench  using  1.5"  deck  screws.      Thats  it,  a  afternoon  and  you  have  a  good  solid  wont  go  anywhere  bench.  I  did  add  some  blocking  under  my  benches  where  I  mounted  my  presses  to  give  it  a  tad  more  strength.  I  painted  my  benches  white,  and  then  put  down  a  thin  rubber  runner  on  the  top  for  a  benchtop.  You  could  use  about  anything,  just  use  some  filler  to  cover  the  screw  holes  and  you  could  use  Formica  or  the  like.  You  could  also  put  some  trim  on  the  front  of  the  bench  to  dress  it  up  abit  if  that  is  your  wish  as  well,  but  trim  work  is  beyond  my  abilities,  I  just  live  with  them  painted  and  utilitarian  looking.    I  hope  you  found  this  information  helpful.